Notes from the Payroll Prof
by Roger A. Smith, CPP, Payroll Management Consultant

School’s either out, or soon will be, the weather has warmed up, vacations are upon us, and it’s time for my annual summer reading list.    Again this year, we have an eclectic mix taken from my own experience and several recommended lists.  While I haven’t read all of these books, I thought I’d pass along this brief overview of the ones that I enjoyed, or that sound interesting to me.  All of these books are on at least one of the popular summer reading lists.

The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss (Crown).    This book is chocked full ideas which may seem outrageous at first.  However, upon reflection, perhaps they’re not so outrageous after all.  You probably won’t do all the things the author did (like becoming a champion kick-boxer by careful reading of the rules), but it’s well worth the read. 

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Random House).  The author continues his exploration of randomness in this fascinating new book.  He examines the influence of highly improbable and unpredictable events that have massive impact.   He asserts that we behave based on past events, yet most of the really big events in our world are rare and unpredictable, or as he puts it, "History does not crawl, it jumps."

The Three Laws of Performance: Rewriting the Future of Your Organization and Your Life by Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan (Jossey-Bass).  This book contains rules to help leaders achieve change by understanding what makes people perform.  The authors also include real life examples of how the rules work.  If you're interested in understanding how to change your organization, or your life, this book is worth a read.

Hot, Flat, and Crowded (Why We Need A Green Revolution - And How It Can Renew America) by Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).  The author of The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century (which was on last year’s list) explores the causes of a planet that is “hot, flat, and crowded.”   He believes that global warming, growing populations, and the expansion of the world’s middle class have produced an Earth that is dangerously unstable. However, he asserts that the United States can step up now and take the lead in a worldwide effort to replace wasteful, inefficient energy practices with a strategy for clean energy, energy efficiency, and conservation.  He proposes a national competition to "outgreen" China, modeled on Kennedy's proposal to beat the Soviets to the moon. While not “light” summer reading, it is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham (Dell).   The only fiction book on this list, Playing for Pizza is not your typical John Grisham novel.  It’s a story of American football, Italian food and culture, love, dedication, and a chance to reflect on what is important in life.  Like all Grisham novels, it’s a real page turner.

Outliers: the Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell (Little, Brown and Company).  In last year’s list I recommended Gladwell’s The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.  He’s back again with a fascinating book about why some people succeed, living remarkably productive lives, while others never reach their potential.  He says that upbringing, culture and even random luck have something to do with success, but there is another important quality that anyone can control which he calls "emotional intelligence." 

Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie (Gallup Press).   Based on the authors’ research, the book identifies three keys to being a more effective leader: knowing your strengths and investing in others' strengths, getting people with the right strengths on your team, and understanding and meeting the four basic needs of those who look to you for leadership.  Instead of trying each new leadership fad, this book encourages you to develop your strengths and learn how you can best lead from yourself... the expert in you.

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy (Berrett-Koehler).   This updated version of the most effective ways to conquer procrastination includes new information on how to keep technology from dominating your time.  Don’t procrastinate – read it this summer!

Six Disciplines® Execution Revolution: Solving the One Business Problem That Makes Solving All Other Problems Easier by Gary Harpst (Six Disciplines Publishing).  “Planning and executing, while at the same time dealing with the inevitable surprises, is the biggest challenge in business.”  The author claims that overcoming that challenge is the key to solving any other business problems that come along. 

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose (Simon & Schuster).   This one was on last year’s list, but if you didn’t read it last year, or haven’t heard the story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition since childhood, you owe it to yourself to read this book.  Undaunted Courage is the chronicle of that great journey, but it’s also the story of expedition leader Meriwether Lewis, who, haunted by what he saw as the expedition’s failure to accomplish many of its original objectives, died (possibly by his own hand) three years after returning to the East.  With the perspective of 200 years, we can conclude that Lewis’s return home safely with all but one of his Corps of Discovery, was in itself a great victory over the odds, and a triumph of personal leadership.

If you get a chance to read any of these books, let me know what you think.  Or if you find a book you feel should be added to the list, tell me about it.  I’ll provide an update in a future column.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, my email address is Roger.Smith@PayrollProf.com and my profile is available on LinkedIn.com.